Nepal, April 16 -- Today, more Nepali women are surviving pregnancy and childbirth than ever. This has been possible due to various government initiatives and constant funding from international organisations. The World Health Organisation recently congratulated the government and other contributors for reducing maternal deaths by over 70 percent since 2000. The country even received the Millennium Development Goal award for cutting the maternal mortality rate from 529 per 100,000 births in 1996 to 239 in 2016. Although the accolades are much deserved, the government's recent shift in priorities and budget cuts risks undoing years of progress as fatality during childbirth still remains a leading cause of women's death in Nepal.

According...